“Well, this will be exhausting,” I said as I walked out of the throne room with Celestia.
“It’s not that bad, Page,” she said with a smile down at me, “I think they took it well.”
I nodded. “A royal meeting with a foreign nation does seem like it would be easier for them to swallow than vacation,” I said. “Bunch of whiny little...”
She poked me with her wing. “Page.”
“...Fine,” I sighed. “But I still think it’s better than the truth.”
Celestia nodded. “I think it helps that you have experience of being a stand-in for my sister in the past. You have experience,” she said as we headed into one of her private rooms, finding Luna already there, reading a scroll on one of the large pillows.
“Hey love,” I said and crossed the floor to nuzzle her. “You are up early.”
Putting the scroll down, she nuzzled back. “Didn’t want to miss it. How did it go? I can’t hear any rioting in the streets,” she teased.
“The Guard is exceptionally skilled at putting down riots by now. They have practice,” I said and settled down next to her.
“It went well,” Celestia said and walked across the room to get a small box before returning to lie down on her own massive pillow. “I have been gone from the capital for longer than two weeks in the past and nothing burst into flames. The only difference is that this time the court won’t close and somepony will be able to keep up with the other engagements.”
I smiled at her. “I should put out an ad in the papers. Royal Temp looking for work, plenty of experience. Think I should get business cards printed and sent to the griffons and minotaurs?”
Luna nipped at my ear. “Silly Page.”
Flicking my ear I nodded, “Very,” and then looked at Celestia. “What’s in the box?”
“Something you will need,” she said and opened it.
Luna looked over. “How does it fare? It’s been in the vaults since long before my absence.”
“I feared it would have been damaged, but the enchantments held,” Celestia said with a smile and picked a medallion from the box. “It is unharmed.”
I looked between them. “What is that?”
“The Medallion of the Royal Sisters,” Luna explained with a smile and reached to touch my medallion. She had replaced it after the fight with Tirek, my original one had been lost there. “I have mine and my sister has hers for her trusted herald. But we also have a joint one that represents both of us. It has not been worn in a long time.”
“A very long time,” Celestia agreed and floated it over for Luna to take.
“...And what does it mean exactly? What does that do that yours doesn’t?”
That got a playful grin from Luna. “Wary of traps, My Page?”
“With you two? Always, My Sky.”
Celestia stuck her tongue out at me. “Nothing you don’t already have, Page,” she explained. “It’s like if you would have been wearing my Medallion as well as my sister's. But you can wear both instead of one if you like.”
I picked the new medallion from Luna's magic to look at it. The middle of the small obsidian plate was Luna's moon and Celestia's sun in silver and gold joined into one. The left was a silver moon and the right a golden sun. It was kinda nice looking, to be honest.
“Well, if it cuts down on the bling I have to wear,” I commented. “But isn’t it enough that you just pointed me out as taking up the slack while you are gone?”
Celestia nodded. “It should be. But I believe it is better to make it legal to make it easier for you. You know how the nobles can be at times.”
“...Good point. Very well, I’ll wear it.”
Luna took it from my magic and lifted my old medallion from around my neck before replacing it with the new one. “Looks good to me.”
“Me too,” Celestia agreed. “Nice to see it on you, husband.”
I goggled at her and she broke into laughter, almost rolling off the pillow.
Luna giggled next to me and pulled me close with her wing, nuzzling at my ear. “Silly Page.”
Rolling my eyes, I leaned against her side. “Not so silly. I think Sunshine over there is the silly one. Speaking of which, how exactly are you planning on doing the entire vacation thing?” I asked as Celestia started to calm down. “You do kind of stand out.”
She winked with a smile and then her horn lit up and her magic whirled around her, hiding her from view. When it was clear again, she was replaced by an average sized white-coated pegasus with a long pink mane and a sun coming out from behind a cloud cutie mark. “Transformation magic may not be my strong suit, but a couple of thousand of years' worth of sneaking out of the castle from time to time does give one some ability in it,” she commented with a smile.
Woah.
Pretty.
“Wait, no horn. How do you turn back?” I asked after a moment of looking at her.
She winked at me. “Not really a pegasus. Even if this should be fairly close to how I would have looked if I stayed one.”
“Makes me a bit nostalgic to see you like that,” Luna admitted. “That was a simpler time.”
“It was,” Celestia agreed and looked out the window with a small sigh. “But not better.”
Luna shook her head sadly and then rested her head against mine. “No. Not better,” she answered softly.